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9. CALENDAR PAGE
Book of Hours, Use of York, Latin Bruges, late 15th century Parchment, 34.5 x 23.5 cm 72 leaves State Library of Victoria, *f096/R66 Hb, fol. 2r |
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The calendar was an important medieval text which regularly appeared in liturgical and personal prayer books. It had its own special format, with a series of vertical and horizontal divisions for the entry of computational data, as well as the names of seasonal feasts and saints' days. In this calendar from a late 15th century book of hours, which was made probably in Bruges for an English patron, important feasts are written in red (from which comes the phrase 'red letter days'). The miniature in the border depicts the activity for the month of February: the cutting of trees for firewood. |
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28. NATIVITY
Antiphonal
(fragment), Latin
Flanders,
early 14th century
Parchment,
33.0 x 21.5 cm single leaf
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There is an air of Gothic elegance about this page from a 14th century Flemish antiphonal. The closely spaced script and musical notation are contained within a graceful gold and blue cusped border. The Nativity scene in the lower margin fits appropriately into this context. Mary is shown in a conventional western bed tenderly holding the infant Christ, while the ox and the ass are outside and Joseph is cooking a meal over a brazier. This folio comes from an antiphonal once owned by the great English scholar and writer, John Ruskin. |
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33. ASCENSION
AND PENTECOST
Psalter-Hours, Latin and French Liège, 1270s Parchment,
17.0 x 12.0 cm 270 leaves
State Library of Victoria, *096/R66, fol. 19v |
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The psalter was used for personal devotion as well as in the Divine Office. In the 13th century, selections from the offices and other prayers from the breviary were attached to the psalter in a prayer book called a psalter-hours. This page shows The Ascension of Christ and the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Male and female saints appear in the roundels within the frame. St Catherine is seen in the upper right roundel and St Agnes in the lower right. |
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49. THE
TRUE ICON, CHRIST, SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD
Book
of Hours, Latin
Ghent?,
c.1490
Parchment,
8.7 x 5.6 cm 191 leaves
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The
prayer, 'Salve
sancta facies' (Hail holy face - of our redeemer) is introduced
in this Flemish book of hours with the rubric 'Salutation to the
true Icon'. The painting depicts
the Saviour as the calm majestic ruler of all, with his right hand
raised in the gesture of blessing and, in his left, a crystal orb,
symbol of cosmic power. In this respect, its ancestry is as much
the Christ of Majesty enthroned in the apse of Early Christian churches,
as the image on the veil of Veronica. Understandably, this composition
is also known under the title,
Salvator Mundi, Saviour of
the World.
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48. THE
MAN OF SORROWS
Book of Hours, Use of Utrecht, Latin Cologne,
1450-75
Parchment,
9.5 x 6.7 cm 144 leaves
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Devotion
to the Passion of Christ figured large in medieval spirituality.
The image of Christ, who shows the wounds and the ravages of the
Crucifixion, yet is alive, confronts the viewer from the tomb. Silhouetted
against the cross, he is surrounded by an array of objects and truncated
forms that powerfully call to mind the torments of the Passion.
The column of the scourging with whip entwined, a striking fist
and spitting mouth, and a hand that holds a fistful of the Saviour's
hair are displayed along with more traditional instruments of the
Passion, such as the lance
that points provocatively at the wound already made in Christ's
side and the spear that bears the vinegar-soaked sponge. In the
foreground lie nails, hammer and pincers.
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51. ST
BARBARA
Book
of Hours, Use of Sarum,
Latin
Southern
Netherlands (Bruges?), c.1450-70
Parchment,
19.5 x 14.0 cm 126 leaves
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Barbara was one of the most popular female saints of the Middle Ages. In this 15th century Book of Hours, probably made in Bruges, she is recognised by her attribute, the three windowed tower. Legend states that she lived in the 3rd century and was imprisoned in a tower by her father to protect her from suitors and the influence of Christianity. Her conversion to Christianity is symbolised by the three windows in honour of the Holy Trinity. The father, in great rage, decapitated his daughter but he was then immediately struck down by lightning. As well as being a strong female role model, her involvement with the tower windows meant that she became the patron saint of builders and architects. She was also the patron saint of miners and gunners because of her connection with lightning.
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